Cheeseman. — On the Oemis Coprosma. 251 



A small alpine creeping species. Branches glabrous, long 

 or short, 4-18 inches, often closely matted together, prostrate 

 and rooting, bark pale or dark grey. Leaves usually close-set, 

 but sometimes distant, sub-erect or patent, bright- green, coria- 

 ceous and somewhat rigid, i-^ inch long, linear-oblong or 

 linear-obovate to broad oblong or broad obovate, acute or obtuse, 

 narrowed into very short broad petioles or nearly sessile ; vein- 

 less. Stipules short and broad, obtuse, often ciliate. Flowers 

 greenish-white, solitary, terminating short erect branchlets. 

 Males: Large for the size of the plant, -J-l inch long. Calyx 

 present, small, cupular 4-8-toothed. Corolla tubular, often 

 curved, shortly 4-8-toothed. Stamens, 4-8 ; filaments often 

 twice as long as the corolla ; anthers narrow, large. Females : 

 Much smaller, seldom more than ^ inch long. Calyx-limb 

 4-8-toothed. Corolla tubular, 4-8-lobed to about one-third 

 way down. Styles 2-4 or 5. Drupe globose, ^-^ inch dia- 

 meter, red ; nuts, 2-4. 



C. repens is easily distinguished from all the New Zealand 

 species of Coprosma, except C. petriei, by its small size and 

 creeping and prostrate habit. From C. petriei it is separated by 

 the rather larger and broader always glabrous leaves, much 

 larger tubular male flowers, and red globose drupe. It will be 

 noticed that I have treated C'. pumila, Hook, fil., as a synonym 

 of C. repens. This I have done on the authority of Mr. N. E. 

 Brown, of the Kew Herbarium, who informs me that, after a 

 careful examination of the specimens on which the species was 

 based, he can find no suflicient characters to separate it from 



C. repens. As I understand that Sir Joseph Hooker accepts 

 this view, and as I have had no opportunity of examining the 

 types, I am inclined to follow it also. There is a probability, 

 however, that a closely -allied species exists, differing fi'om C. 

 repens to a certain extent in habit, in floral characters, and in 

 the much larger purple drupe. I understand that Mr. Kirk con- 

 siders this to be the true C. pumila ; but this view is not 

 supported by the description given in the " Handbook," where 

 the fruit is described as orange-yellow. It does not follow that, 

 because a species allied to C. repens probably exists, it must of 

 necessity answer to Hooker's C. pumila. 



31. C. petriei. 



Oheeseman, Trans. N.Z. Inst., xviii,, p. 316. 



South Island.— llowwi Arthur, Nelson, altitude 4,000 to 6,000 

 feet, T.F.O. Mountains near Lake Tekapo, Canterbury, 4,000 

 feet, T.F.C. ; uplands in the interior of Otago, common, 



D. Petrie ! 



A small species, with prostrate and creeping stems. Branches 

 6-18 inches long, usually densely matted, creeping and rooting, 



